Smash the Halls
by Haninator
Summary: For Smash King24's contest! WOOT! In any case, there's a kidnapping and a "let's keep it quiet" situation. Hee hee hee! It gets crazier... If I could have 3 catagories, the third would be FAMILY. :D Reviews are fun. Mild humor courtesy of Crazy Hand.
1. Chapter 1 A Very Metty Christmas

Hey people! This is something I came up with for the contest Smash King's having. I'm kinda happy that I get to type a bit of this at school, but it's school, so by default… it STINKS. In any case, I think we SHOULD have had a snow day and I'm more than a little irritated about it. Enough of this stupid ranting that will change nothing. On with the story! Smash the halls with lotsa spaghetti, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, LA! Tis the season to fling cookies! La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, LA! That's why I DON'T write songs, 'kay! Anywho... HERE WE GO!! (Mario quote... :3 XD)

* * *

Chapter 1 A Very Metty Christmas

The most wonderful time of the year had reared its insanely happy face once again at the Smash Mansion and everyone was trying to get in the Christmas spirit... well... everyone except the villains who were planning their usual pranks and assorted mischief. Meta Knight had agreed to play the role of Santa for the second year in a row. Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, not even his closest friends, but he enjoyed it the first time. Giving all of the Smashers presents was something that gave him an extreme joy from his toes to the top of his head. Seeing the smiles on the young Smashers' faces warmed his heart in a way that he couldn't describe. He looked over to see Link and Toony, cooperating for once, trying to hang up a shiny green garland in the hall leading to the training arena from the dormitory.

"Okay. Get me some more tape," Toony said from atop Link's shoulders. Link bent down and Toony quickly grabbed at his cousin's neck to keep from falling while yelping "whoa!" a few times. Link started choking as he picked up the tape dispenser and Toony loosened his grip hastily. "Sorry!"

"It's okay." Link cleared his throat and tore a piece of tape off the dispenser, mentally berating himself for leaving the tape on the ground in the first place and promising himself that he would just hold onto it. _He's smart, but at moments_, Meta thought, _he has lapses in concentration and does things he shouldn't do. He's a good kid deep down. Women would say he's a sweetheart. _Then there was Toony, a lively youngster who had done his fair share to improve the world and then some. He too was quite a kind-hearted fellow. Zelda, quite clearly Link's love interest, was smiling and laughing at their effort as she effortlessly used her magic to hang the blue garland. Meta thought she was a nice young woman, a perfect compliment for Link.

Meta walked to the training arena where certain other Smashers were putting the finishing touches on the humongous tree. Pit and King Dedede were fighting over who would put the star at the top of the tree. Meta sighed and took the star from where it had landed on the floor during the struggle and flew to the top of the tree. He gently set it in its place and flew back down. The two hadn't even noticed that the object of their conflict was already in its proper place. _These guys aren't very bright today_, Meta thought, smiling to himself. Then again, the two never really did get along. Meta shook his head and walked out of the training arena, but as he was stepping out the door, he heard other voices from within the arena. It wasn't normal for him to miss noticing people in a room, but when he turned around, there was no wonder he had. Mario was clinging to the tree trunk, climbing down slowly, Lucario above him. They must have just finished putting the ornaments on the huge tree. Meta had to wonder why Lucario didn't just use his Aura powers to put the ornaments on. He settled for the fact that Lucario didn't like to use his Aura powers more than need be.

"Hey-a Meta! Whatcha doin'?" the Italian plumber asked.

"Checking in on everyone. Making sure they're not trying to kill each other on Christmas Eve," Meta said, smiling under his mask.

"That-a works," Mario said, returning the unseen smile.

"No kidding. I guess this means everyone else is in the dining room doing whatever they please?" Meta asked.

"Either that or they're in their rooms," Lucario answered before Mario could.

"Clearly." Meta nodded slowly. "I'm going to see that everything's okay there." Master Hand had assigned him to oversee the others and it was taking its toll on the Star Warrior. The kids had been particularly rowdy, doing whatever they could to amuse themselves until the next morning that they all waited the course of a year for. Meta had had to make sure that the kids didn't accidentally kill each other or the Wii that they were using to alleviate their boredom. He was happy when Peach and Samus took over for him. Meta had been trained as a warrior and nanny duties weren't exactly part of the training program.

"See-a you later." The plumber turned to Lucario and the two started working on decorating another part of the room.

When Meta arrived in the dining room, Kirby was, rather predictably downing as much food as was possible. Meta looked at him sternly, crossing his arms over his "chest." "Kirby, what did I tell you about this?"

"Poyo!" Kirby yelled happily to acknowledge Meta's presence, then saw the anger in his now red-tinted eyes. "Poyo," Kirby moaned mournfully.

"You don't have to say you're sorry, just try not to do this anymore. The chefs are going to make a feast tonight. You can go crazy then, alright?"

"POYO!" Kirby exclaimed enthusiastically and Meta allowed a chuckle.

"Run along now."

"Poyo." Kirby complied.

Meta saw Fox, Falco, and Wolf gathered around a card table and judging by the poker chips, Wolf was in the lead.

"It's no fun playing with you! You always cheat!" Falco yelled at Wolf.

"What's the matter? Jealous?"

"This ISN'T a Brawl Tournament! You don't have to talk like a retard!" This time it was Fox who complained.

Meta came up between Fox and Wolf. "You shouldn't fight about something as simple as a game. How much are you playing for?"

"Just a heap of fun," Wolf smiled, revealing a rather vicious-looking set of teeth. While this had a terrifying effect on some of the weaker-minded Smashers, it had no effect on Meta Knight.

"In that case, you should just let it go and take the loss. If you aren't civil to each other, I will know. The Hands will know. There's no telling what THEY'D do."

The two losing parties gulped. The Hands knew the worst types of torture. Pit had experienced it firsthand when he'd broken Master Hand's one-of-a-kind vase. A week later Pit was still feeling the effects of his punishment. It became quickly known to the other Smashers that the Hands were not to be crossed.

"Fine." Fox conceded. Falco nodded, knowing that Meta was right. Wolf just sat there grinning smugly, ready to start bragging already.

"Wolf, give them a break." Wolf sobered, obviously annoyed at Meta for breaking up his superior mood. Meta gave them a skeptical look before heading off.

On the other side of the dining hall, Meta noticed that Bowser, Olimar, Luigi, ROB, Captain Falcon, and Wario were gathered around a huge table talking about something that Meta wasn't too sure he wanted to know about. He heard something about "presents" and decided to keep the surprise a surprise, even if they weren't talking about gifts they had purchased for him. He walked back the way he had come.

He stopped at the rec room to see if everything was running smoothly there. He found Pikachu, Marth, Ike, Snake, Mr. Game and Watch, Sonic, the ice-climbers and Ganondorf were clustered around the TV. Marth was flipping through the channels, barely taking enough time to see what was on each channel as the others (mainly Ganondorf) complained loudly. Meta stepped up and cleared his throat.

"Hey, Meta! What's up?" Marth asked.

"Why don't you settle on something? That way everyone is happy."

"Okay." Marth flipped through to another channel. "Ooh! Mythbusters! Is everyone okay with this?"

"Explosions," Ganondorf said possessively. "I like explosions."

"I like it," Ike said calmly.

Nana looked as though she were fully entranced by the TV, as did the others. "I suppose you've reached an agreement." Meta smiled and moved on to the Hands' offices. Master Hand was chilling out, playing with a model airplane and making zooming noises. "Sir," Meta Knight said.

Master Hand sputtered for a second and then said, "You didn't see any of that. What is it you need?"

"Are we ready for me to start off?"

"After dinner tonight when all of the children have gone to their rooms. Then we'll be ready. The Yoshis and the Kongs will be pleasantly surprised, you know."

"I know. They will enjoy this. In fact, it will give me something better to do than sit here in the mansion all night. The Halberd is already prepped and ready to go."

"Good. In that case, I have nothing else to tell you except a warning to be safe on your journey."

"Thank you." Meta inclined his head and left the Hand's office.

*

After dinner, as per Master Hand's request, Meta Knight took off in his personal ship to bring Christmas gifts to the denizens of Yoshi's Island and the island where Donkey Kong and his friends lived. An hour into the trip, all communications between the Halberd and the Smash Mansion were lost.

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Okay... A LOT of my better ideas come to me via Facebook chats. This one was not really MINE per se. Meta Knight of Facebook gave me the idea and I ran with it. This is why I'm on Facebook so much now... To get ideas!

Han: No. Not so much. You're there because you are pathetic.

Me: Yeah, yeah. So what!

Han: Just write the next chappy of HNA already!

Me: Meh, grouchy. Since when was it you're time of month?!?

Han: I'm a MAN, you moron!

Me: Meh! Okay, okay! Leave me alone, gawsh. I'm just goofin'!

Han: Shuddup.

Me: Reviews...? Meow?

Han: Oh, please! *rolls his eyes*


	2. Chapter 2 The Search Before Christmas

Here's chapter 2! Hee hee hee! This WILL be only 3 chappies long, but the chappies themselves may be long-winded. Meh. In any case, the explanation for Meta's OoC-ness will be revealed before the end of the fic.

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Chapter 2 The Search Before Christmas

_Before contact with the Halberd was lost:_

Fox, Falco, and Wolf were manning the comm station while Master Hand and Crazy Hand observed. The other Smashers were all in their own rooms, presumably asleep. But sleep was riddled with premonitions for a particular Smasher.

*

Link tossed in his bed, green sheets slipping from his body, making him colder even as a vision of the Halberd being intercepted flooded his mind. He jolted awake, feeling much like he had after awakening from the dreams from when he was little and had had visions of Ganondorf. He pulled his arms up to his bare chest in a hug that would have made anyone who saw him think of a distraught child and decided that he would have to see what was going on in the control room.

*

Fox could sense someone coming. He turned and saw Link standing in the doorway, looking as though there was an extreme, unseen danger afoot. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I had a dream. A vision... the Halberd's in danger." Fox couldn't help but be reminded of all the movies he'd seen in which a kid would walk into the parents' room and tell them that he or she had had a bad dream and wished to spend the night with the parents.

"Link, it was JUST a dream. Not a premonition. Not a vision. Just go back to sleep. We've got everything under control," Falco stepped in.

"Shut up. We're getting a transmission from the Halberd," Wolf commanded. Everyone fell silent and Master Hand pushed the volume control up a few notches so that everyone could hear.

"Meta to Control, just made it to Yoshi's Island." Meta sounded okay, Link had to admit and he instantly felt foolish. _Maybe it was just my imagination after all_, he thought. "I'm en route to the island of the Kongs."

"Control to Meta, good job. Keep up the great work. Remember to get back A.S.A.P."

"Confirmed. Meta out."

"Ten four."

"You were saying, Link?" Fox asked triumphantly.

"Can I just sit here for a bit?" the Hylian said, still feeling a bit uneasy. It was always hard for him to shake the feeling he got from the dreams that he had. He didn't have dreams often, but he ALWAYS knew if they were premonitions. It hurt that Fox and the others weren't putting faith in his judgement, but since they had had no previous experience with him and his intuition, they couldn't really be blamed.

"I don't think that that would hurt anything," Master Hand said, turning to face Crazy Hand, "if we let him stay in here. There's no reason we won't let you, Link."

"Thanks, sir."

"LOOK! CHOCOLATE!!!" Crazy Hand yelled randomly.

Link put on a confused face and Wolf cracked a grin. Fox and Falco rolled their eyes.

Crazy Hand started spinning in his chair a few moments later. Link, who had decided that sitting was more comfortable than standing, was on the floor off to the side of the doorway, fighting the sudden heaviness of his eyelids. He wound up losing the battle against sleep and was snoring so softly that the sound wasn't audible over the noises of the computers and other equipment in the room. But, the same dream assaulted him and he shot awake, feeling the adrenaline pump through his veins.

"Meta to Control." The comm system crackled severely after Meta's voice came over the speakers. "I have made contact with the Kongs and am on my way home."

"Control to Meta, that's great. Keep us posted. Control out."

"Co-" The reply Meta gave was cut short by a loud burst of static and Link's pulse rate increased. It was coming to pass. He felt it, a deep pain in his heart. He had admired Meta as a swordsman would admire a worthy opponent. And if anyone had harmed Meta, they'd taste firsthand what it was like to anger the bearer of the Triforce of Courage.

"Ah, stupid machinery!" Fox beat the console repeatedly.

Master Hand whirled on him. "Stop."

"We lost communications with him..." Link said, trailing off, feeling his heart sink to the pit of his stomach.

"No. It was just a lot of static," Falco said stubbornly.

"Falco, we've lost the blip on the radar that signifies the Halberd's position. The tracker's gone," Wolf said gently, already knowing something had to be done to help the Star Warrior.

Master Hand floated towards the door. "Link, what did you say about premonitions?"

Link gulped, knowing the Hand's reputation as a bitter torturer. "Well, sir, I said that I had had a dream in which the Halberd was intercepted. I don't know who did it. There weren't any identification markers on the ship in my dream. All I saw was a dark shape that resembled a ship."

"Draw the outline on this." Master Hand pulled a piece of printer paper out of nowhere and materialized a pencil. Link complied, drawing remarkably stable lines, occasionally closing his eyes to remember the ship and its details. When he finished, Master Hand found that he was staring at something that looked suspiciously like the Blue Falcon. "Captain Falcon's ship?"

"I wouldn't know, Sir. I haven't spent much time around him."

"I see. In any case, we must locate Captain Falcon. If he's still here and the Blue Falcon is still in the hangar bay, then we can say that it's an equipment malfunction. If his ship's gone, then will send a team in Samus' ship. You'll lead them."

"ME?" Link looked uncertain. "Sir, I'm NOT qualified for such a-"

"Yes, you are," Master Hand cut him off. "You're the one who told us that this was going to happen. We didn't believe you and now Meta Knight could be in danger. I think that in and of itself is enough to qualify you for the job."

"If you say so, Sir," Link said, still maintaining his skepticism.

"SPIN!" Crazy Hand yelled, spinning around in the air, killing the moment and Link's misgivings with a solid, albeit uneasy, laugh.

"Sir, don't we need to assemble our team?"

"Of course. That's why I'm calling Mario, Kirby, and Bowser. They're going with you."

"Okay. But what about Samus? She won't let anyone else fly her ship. If we come back with one scratch on it, she'll kill us. And that's not a joke, Sir."

"That's why she's on her way here right now."

"You think of everything."

Master Hand would have smiled at Link if he'd had a mouth. "That's why I'm the caretaker here."

"In that case, what in the name of black holes is Crazy Hand doing here?" Falco asked.

"He's my little brother. Mom always said I should look out for him because of his mental instabilities." Master Hand somehow managed to look as wistful as he sounded. It was strange how easily he could convey his emotions without a face. It made the kid Smashers wary of him at all times.

Soon enough, all of the called parties were in the control room. Mario was the first of the new arrivals to speak. "Meta Knight has-a been kidnapped?"

"Yes. Or so we believe." Link couldn't believe he was so calm when he said it. He thought he would have been freaking out over it, but there was nothing. He felt oddly hollow, resigned to whatever would happen. And he wasn't one to believe, even remotely, in fate.

"That's not gonna do," Samus said, determined. Her voice was as firm as steel.

"POYO!" Kirby yelled, clearly angry at whoever would try something so terribly noticeable.

"Heh. They're doing it for attention," Bowser said, growling something about amateurs.

"Amateurs or not, we have to treat them as if they're armed and dangerous," Link said, face as calm as his tone. _This is nuts. I shouldn't be so calm. Meta could be in grave danger and here I am feeling like it's just another night. Maybe it's just experience. Maybe I've gotten so used to those nearest to me being put in danger that I don't react like I used to. That's NOT normal. Maybe I should see a psychiatrist when this is over. _

_"_Clearly," Samus said, low on patience. "So basically we're gonna take my ship out and see what's up. If you're wrong about the kidnapping, Hylian, I'm gonna take you out back for a severe beating. Waking me up at one o'clock for something he's not even sure of." Samus had laden the last sentence with annoyance.

"Samus, you won't. If you've got a problem, you can take it up with me," Master Hand stepped in, speaking with the same firm-as-steel tone Samus was using. Link just stood there, bouncing on the balls of his feet uneasily.

"ANYWAY," the Hylian said loudly in order to distract the two, "we're going out there to assist Meta in any way we can. If it's just an equipment malfunction, then you can all beat me up later." At this, Samus smiled maliciously. Link made a mental note not to wake her up at any time ever again.

"You're willing to take responsibility for this?" Bowser asked. "You got guts, kid."

Link smiled. "Let's get going."

_Present time:_

"Control to Rescue, how's everything going?" Wolf's voice crackled over the comm. Fox and Falco were on board with Samus, helping her fly the ship. They were still in understaffed conditions as it was. Link was sitting near the anterior viewport, staring out at the ocean ahead, hoping they would spot Meta's ship. They were heading for where Meta had last been on the radar.

"Rescue to Control, all's good," Samus said over the comm.

Soon enough, the group noticed the tail of the Halberd. To everyone's dismay, the Blue Falcon was docked beside it. "Ah, crap," Samus said, knowing that their job had just gotten harder. "We're gonna have to send out the drop squad. Link, get your fanny out there with the others."

"Sure," Link replied, leaping up to run out of the cockpit and towards the exit hatch where Bowser, Mario, and Kirby were waiting. "Alright," he said through the headset he'd just put on, "can you guys hear me?"

"Yeah, loud and clear. Nice job, Link, I see you've finally figured out how to use modern technology," Samus joked. Link was glad she seemed happier, even though she'd taken the opportunity to make fun of him.

Deciding to play along, Link smiled and said into the comm, "Well, it had to happen sometime. Are we ready?"

"Just let me get closer, then you guys can make the jump. Just make sure you have your magnet boots."

"Hey, when DON'T I have them?"

"All of you, duh!"

"Oh... I knew that."

Link could practically hear Samus smile. "Just get everyone ready. We'll be in range in about five minutes at the current speed."

"Okay." Link moved the microphone up and out of the way. "Guys, you've all..." he trailed off when he looked at their feet. They had the boots on already. "Gotten ready before me," he finished after a long pause. They shared a chuckle as Link pulled his magnetic boots out and put them on. "I hope this works," he muttered to himself. He knew from experience that only certain metals were magnetic and that it was VERY possible that Meta had changed the armor plating on his ship so that it wasn't magnetic. If that was the case, they'd all die. Not even hover boots could hold them up long enough for Samus to bring her ship in to rescue them. Link didn't tell his fellows. They might have already considered it, but Link didn't want to bring it to the forefront of their minds, fearing that if they thought about it, they would back out. _They didn't back out from other challenges. They aren't the kind to. Even when the odds are against them_, Link told himself, but still unwilling to tell them the truth about the margin for error.

Then Samus came over the comm, "Alright," there was a crackle of static as the ship shuddered, "we're close enough now. Go for it!"

Link pushed the microphone back into place and replied, "'Kay. Here we go." He took a breath and let it out as Bowser pushed the button for the hatch-release. It opened and Link smiled as he stepped forward and felt the wind whipping around his face. "I'll go first." And with that, he leaped out of the ship. He was relieved when, after the short fall, his boots gripped the metal. "Okay, Sam, send the others out."

"'Sam?' REALLY, Link?"

"Well... I... thought maybe it'd be a decent comm designation."

"Maybe your designation should be 'Fairy Boy'."

"Ha, ha. Only true men have ever had luck with fairies."

"So you claim." Samus switched to the internal comm channel before he could reply. "You've all got you're headsets tuned in?"

"Yeah."

"Yup."

"Poyo!"

"How much did you hear of that exactly?"

"Link is officially 'Fairy Boy' now," Bowser said, smirking.

"Okay... you heard all of it..." Samus said sheepishly. "Well... just go already!"

"Of course." Bowser pushed Mario to the opening and the plumber jumped out. Then Kirby followed and Bowser set the door to shut and jumped out as it was closing. Samus smiled grimly at Fox and Falco. The trio looked at the control board to see amber lights representing the status of the shields and hull armor. The weapons batteries had similar representation. At least the others didn't need to know. Samus pulled her ship away from the Halberd. There was nothing more she could do to help the drop team except pray.

*

"Captain!"

"What?" the gaudily-dressed man asked roughly.

"Sensors indicate that the other ship is moving off. We won, Sir!"

"Never count a victory before the opponent has been defeated completely. Go in for a complete demolition of the enemy. Engine control, reverse our trajectory. Pursue the enemy."

"Aye."

"You won't succeed, you know." Meta Knight said from his new seat on the floor. He was bound with chains, but not gagged. There were bodies of those that he had fought off before being captured strewn throughout the cockpit. He'd managed to reduce their numbers by half before they caught him. They'd turned off his beacon and cut all communications with the Mansion Control Center. It was only when they'd started working together that they were able to overpower him. They had had stun guns, obviously wishing to steal the ship and ransom off the passengers after taking everything to their lair. The only thing that Meta was concerned about was how they'd come up with the Blue Falcon. Captain Falcon wasn't one to be careless with his ship and the fact that these pirates had somehow obtained it made him more than a little uneasy.

"Shut up! You heroes are all the same, tacky catchphrases and the cliche 'you're a villain, you won't win' attitude. It's discrimination and demeaning to all villains everywhere! So, we're here to show you that villains DO win. It's a just cause. That way the world doesn't get only the misconceptions you heroes set up," the captain countered.

"You're twisted. And it's always the twisted who trip over their own feet," Meta Knight continued with dignity.

"I'm the twisted one? I see you don't know the truth. Look at yourself. You're supposed to be powerful. You're at our mercy, something you're CLEARLY uncomfortable with, but yet you still think you're under control! We hold your life in our hands and you still think you can command us?!? I don't believe this."

"The reason why villians are commonly undone is their focus is on themselves. It destroys them. My friends will come, though I am not worthy of rescue because they are attached to me. To you, a friend is someone who you can use whenever you please and throw away after they have dealt with being stepped on by you. To me, a friend is someone who cares for you and would do anything to help you. I would do the same for my friends. You will never truly understand this." Meta seemed wistful as he finished his rebuke. "It is not something you can learn. You must experience it firsthand in order for you to-" At that moment, there was a series of blasts that sounded like the stun guns that the pirates were carrying. "That means the rescue committee is here. I think things will turn out better for you in the end if you surrender."

"Ah, gag him. We should have before. I'm glad we didn't mention the ship that came by in front of him earlier."

"There was a shi-" Meta was cut off by the cloth rag that one of the pirates stuffed into his mouth and taped there, effectively silencing him.

"Much better. What's going on?"

"There are others on board. We can't-" The pirate was cut off by a death howl and a rasp of air leaving relaxed lungs came over the comm.

The captain swore. "Get these newcomers off my ship!"

Meta's eyes turned red with anger. _They have a lot of nerve to call the Halberd theirs while I'm still alive and help is on the way_, he thought.

"Hey, whoever it is that took over the Halberd, congratulations. You've just managed to tick off the owner's friends. Not a wise decision, lemme tell you. I'd say you've got about five minutes to surrender, or we're gonna take the bridge. I'm kinda hoping you don't surrender. You've REALLY managed to make me angry, and that's saying something. There's about a million to one chance of getting me this angry, and whoop de stinkin' do, you managed it. Be proud, but in five minutes, you'll meet me and my compatriots face-to-face. Surrender or no. Your worst nightmare out."

Meta's face brightened underneath his mask. He knew exactly who it was over the comm. But he'd never seen, or more accurately, heard his companion so bent on vengeance. It made the Star Warrior feel oddly special. After all, it was his kidnapping that made his friend so angry as to hope that the enemy didn't surrender. Usually he preferred to preserve all forms of life, even those that tried to kill him, but the moment his friends were threatened, he would forsake such virtues until his friends were safe. Meta had a special relationship with the speaker, a warrior's bond that went beyond the normal limits of friendship. There was a respect there that each had for the other that separated their bond from the bonds of friendship.

*

_With the drop team:_

"Okay... if my sense of direction is at all existent, we should be at the bridge door now," Link said, running his hand over the cool metal wall that separated them from Meta.

"Poyo!" Kirby said affirmatively.

"Good. I also assume that you have the override codes?" Link continued.

"Poyo," Kirby said, winking and mashing buttons on the controls to the door so fast that his arm was a blur.

Link, Mario, and Bowser stared at him wide-eyed. Finally he punched the "enter" key. "Poyo poyo."

"Easy as-a pie? I don't-a think that our ideas of easy fit-a together," Mario replied to Kirby's declaration.

"I'm on the same page, Mario," Link said as the light on the panel turned green and the door began to lift. "Show 'em your game faces," Link said, following his own orders and pushing his face into the angriest expression he'd ever used. As soon as the door was up high enough for them to fit underneath, they rolled in, Bowser trailing because of his size. The bridge crew was too busy flying the Halberd to fight, leaving only the five security men and the captain to fight the newcomers. Three fell to Mario and Bowser and the other two to the Master Sword.

"Have you reached your decision, or will I have to make my point stronger?" Link said, grabbing the captain and shoving the dagger-like Kokiri sword to the man's neck. Not even Kirby had seen the Hylian draw the second sword and sheathe the Master Sword.

"Fine. Take the ship back. We'll just steal it again."

"I'm not sure that you understand," Link said firmly, pressing the sword harder, making it bite into the captain's neck enough to shed a trickle of blood. There was something about the man's voice that triggered something deep in Link's mind, as if it were similar to a voice of someone he'd heard before. Link turned his head and looked over his shoulder to see that Mario and Bowser were keeping a watch at his back, making sure that none of the crewmen decided to jump for Link and save the captain. Kirby was working on untying Meta Knight.

As soon as the gag was removed from his mouth and the chains lay inert on the floor, Meta flew over to the captain and asked, "Captain Falcon, it's high time you told us what's going on."

"Master wishes no one to know his plans," Captain Falcon responded. He was in a trance, Link diagnosed. But there was something different about him. His facial shape and body type were much different from the F-Zero racer's. _It must be some sort of illusion... maybe we're being tricked by a body suit or something._

"Falcon, take off the disguise." Meta's voice was surprisingly neutral.

"Meta, check him. There's gotta be some sort of brain-washing implement somewhere." Meta did as Link said as Kirby looked ahead, covering Link as his forward vision was blocked by Meta Knight as he hovered looking for a foreign object on the racer.

"Here it is," Meta said, removing a strangely shaped jewel from the racer's ear and gave it to Link. "What is this thing?" Link held up his index finger, signalling for him to wait.

Captain Falcon moaned and asked, "What's going on?" He looked up to see Link smiling and felt the removal of the Kokiri Sword from his neck. "What were you doing that for?!? And why am I in this suit thing?!?" He stretched, ripping the close-fitting material. It dissipated in a purple haze that no one else had time to notice.

"Well... I thought you were someone else. You'd taken Meta Knight captive and were stealing his ship," Link said, wiping off both swords on his cleaning cloth and sheathing them. "You said something about 'Master' and 'plans'. I threatened you and Meta searched you and found this in your ear." Link held up the jewel. "It's a brain-washing trick. I dunno how it works, but they put it in your ear and you're their faithful servant, whether you wanna be or not."

"I see," Captain Falcon said. "So they wanted Meta. Why?"

"I have no clue, but I have a feeling that these guys," Link gestured to the crew, "know what's going on."

At that second, all of the crew of the formerly brain-washed Captain Falcon turned on them. Meta leaped to the controls of his ship and took over, flying for the Smash Mansion as fast as possible. Bowser, Link, Mario, and Kirby fought to keep them from Meta Knight and the controls. Link idly wondered how the Star Warrior was able to control a ship with so many stations by himself. _He must have a master control board or something_, he thought, even as he decapitated the last of the attackers. It was a shame that none surrendered to be interrogated. Link wasn't surprised when the bodies dissipated in a cloud of purplish haze. _They were from subspace. Made of the same stuff as primids._

"Guys," Link said, "did you see what I saw?"

"They're-a from Subspace-a," Mario declared.

"Uhm-hmm," Link murmured, nodding. "Tabuu must have somehow survived." His mouth was a grim line.

"Well, we can ignore it for now. We don't know where he is or what he's planning. But I _do_ know I'm planning on having a nice Christmas at the Smash Mansion."

"You're right, Bowser. However, I must say that this whole business is disturbing. We still don't know how Tabuu would know that I was going to Yoshi's Island and Donkey Kong's homeland," Meta Knight said. "All we can do now is wait."

"In the meantime, I command you all to have a merry Christmas," Link teased.

"I was never under your command for this mission," Meta jested, "but I think I will have to go along with the command. I suppose the ties of friendship are stronger than I previously thought."

"Aw, Meta, c'mon, now. You're gettin' mushy over the likes of us? I thought you were made of steel," Link teased.

"I've been hanging out with you guys for too long."

"Understandable," Bowser chuckled.

"POYO!" Kirby said excitedly, jumping Meta Knight and hugging him.

"Kirby, no! I-" Meta had to fight to regain control of the Halberd after he'd pushed Kirby off. "Sorry, but I'm busy."

Everyone knew it was just an excuse.

* * *

If you're bored, skip the following and go review. :D If not, then... well... read it...

Aw! Meta's showing his tender side! XD And Link's going crazily angry over random stuff. Just a typical day! XD Okay, maybe not... We can all learn something from this... A: Don't threaten Link's friends. B: Meta's weakness is *is shot*

Link: *uses fairy on me* REALLY?!?

Me: Ow. Have Rupees.

Link: Ooooh, Rupees.

Me: :D Yes, Rupees. Hey, guess what! I had THREE teeth pulled today!

Link: Nice...

Me: I'm still numb and it was THREE hours ago that I got 'em pulled! That, and I'm sorta hungry.

Link: *rolls his eyes* Well, that's a fail.

Me: Yeah. *stomach rumbles* Whatever! I'm not letting it ruin my cheer at finishing this chappy... which is 4,703 words long! YAY! The longest chappy I've written for any fic here! WOO!!


	3. Chapter 3 'Tis the Season

Okay, here's the FINAL chappy of my Christmas fic. I hope it's been a fun ride and you have all learned exactly WHY it is SO INCREDIBLY dangerous to wake up Samus at one o'clock. XD Now, comes the moment of truth... the time when I can finally figure out if... I can obtain cookies. It's completely LEGIT!! XD Cookies are wanted by all beings, deep inside. XD I need a better hobby... (Current hobby consists of getting hyper and doing random things.) The reason for Tabuu... is well... it's a shameless declaration that I have no villains who would readily challenge the Smashers that aren't OCs. As far as the bridge crew goes... they were primids. The ones that Meta subdued just had a longer dissipation fuse.

* * *

Chapter 3 'Tis the Season

The return trip was, thankfully, much less exciting than the journey out. "So, Link, I assume you took one of the fallen enemies' headsets in order to give that message."

"Yeah." The corner of the Hylian's mouth twitched and stretched upward. "I figured he didn't need it anymore."

Meta Knight smiled underneath his mask. "So Kirby used the access codes he'd obtained. I've been meaning to change those for a while-"

"DON'T!" the other Smashers yelled, cutting him off.

Meta chuckled, "Then again, maybe I should leave them as they are... Just in case something like this happens again."

"Let's just hope it doesn't happen again," Link said, smiling gently, then a thought wiped the expression from his face. "We're gonna hafta tell Master Hand about this, aren't we?"

"Not 'we'. You, 'Fairy Boy'," Bowser said, smirking as Link's cheeks flushed. The Hylian wished he had Meta's mask to hide behind.

"You heard that? I thought Samus and I were on a private channel."

If Meta had had eyebrows, he would have raised one. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later, bud."

"I suppose I will go with you to tell Master Hand about Tabuu," Meta said, taking a second to look back at his fellow swordsman.

"Thanks, Meta," Link said, feeling the warm fuzzies that claimed him whenever someone did something kind for him.

"No problem."

*

In Link's opinion, the one thing more intimidating than taking on giant monsters was dealing with the Hands. Even a normal talk could turn into a torture session in a matter of minutes. But the bearer of the Triforce of Courage never felt anything more than a dim hint of fear. "Master Hand, while we did find Meta Knight and confirmed that Captain Falcon was involved, we found something very disturbing. Tabuu is alive."

"WHAT?!?" Master Hand yelled.

"You see, Sir, Captain Falcon was brainwashed into kidnapping me by none other than Tabuu. The proof lies in the fact that his associates vanished in a puff of purple haze, exactly like the Subspace invaders."

"So Falcon's dummy crew was made of primids."

"Yes," Link said. "We don't know what Tabuu is planning. All we can do now is wait. Wait and enjoy our Christmas."

"And keep our guard up. I'm summoning more alloys as we speak. They will help protect you."

"If you think it necessary, Sir," Link said, echoing Meta's sentiments.

"Alright, you guys need to head off to sleep. I'm sure you're both wiped out." Since Master Hand brought it to mind, Link and Meta suddenly realized that the adrenaline had worn off, leaving them both quite tired.

"That's alright with me," Link said, looking over at Meta in a futile attempt to read his facial expression. At times he wished his friend had not chosen to wear a mask that concealed his face so well, but that was the purpose of masks to begin with.

"I will see you both in the morning."

"G'night, you two. May peace find you as you rest," Master Hand said.

Crazy Hand floated up next to his brother. "Have chocolate! It always helps me go to sleep! WHEE!!!"

"Remind me not to give you any sugar."

"Aw, but that's no fun."

*

The next morning, all of the Smashers and both Hands gathered at the Christmas tree for the yearly present opening. The kid Smashers had already found their presents and were tearing into them viciously and yelling their thanks to those who gave them the gifts. The older Smashers had decided to draw names out of a hat in order to decide who to buy a gift for. It wasn't so much an issue caused by the economy, but rather by the lack of inventive thought that went into buying gifts the past few years. Master Hand figured that if it were too much to ask to be civil to everyone else, the Smashers would have to be kind to one person at the absolute least.

Link was happy nonetheless. Just seeing the excitement on the faces of his comrades was enough. He didn't need a gift from anyone to make him feel special. He was just grateful that everyone was safe and happy. He held a gift for a friend dear to him, and soon enough, found him in the crowd. As if it had been planned, the two walked towards each other and exchanged gifts. The odds against it happening were astronomical, but Link and Meta Knight had received each others' names.

"Thanks, Meta. What're the chances of us picking each other?"

ROB popped up out of seemingly nowhere, he had probably just rolled up behind them without them noticing, "Approximately five hundred sixty-five thousand and thirty-six to one that it would happen."

"I'm sure Link wasn't serious in his wonderings," Meta said, joking with the robot. "He was just surprised that it had happened. Go ahead, Link, I didn't put a bomb in there."

"And neither did I," Link said, smiling as he opened his package. "A new bow! Meta, where did you get this?!? This is great quality!" Link pulled the bow from the wooden box that Meta had wrapped it in and inspected the string, lifting the bow close to his face and inhaling the scent of the wood. "Smells like... like home."

"Yes. It should. I made it from Hylian wood... under the watchful eye of a master bow designer."

"It's beautiful. Open yours. It's not anything NEARLY as good as this, but you might like it."

Meta opened the present, finding a metal box inside which was a finely shaped dagger with his name engraved on the blade. "Link, how did you know?"

"I saw you eying the Kokiri Sword when I used it a coupla times. It seemed like you wanted one, so I got the best I could. I'm afraid I messed up the decorative handle though."

"Stars of Dreamland, Link, you didn't BUY this did you? It must have cost a fortune."

Link rubbed the toe of his boot on the floor. "Well, I paid for part of it... I forged it from the materials I bought... and I rented the forging pit. All and all, it wasn't terribly expensive." Meta could tell by the way his friend was acting that it had indeed cost him a great deal to make the dagger and he didn't want Meta to think that his gift was unworthy. "I love the bow, Meta, it's really awesome!" Link flashed Meta a huge grin. "I think I wanna go do some target practice. Do you wanna go to the hologram generation room with me. You can try out that dagger."

"Sure, Link. Isn't this the best part about Christmas?"

"Spending time with friends?"

"Yes."

"Definitely the best part."

Meta smiled and chatted with Link about the intricacies of the carvings on the hilt of the dagger as Link complimented Meta's handiwork as they went to the hologram generation room. Zelda, by chance, looked back at the duo and smiled to herself, knowing that Link had found a lasting friend he could relate to in an unexpected place. She decided to leave them to their peace.

* * *

All in all, it was a fun journey, right? (Feel free to say it wasn't, I won't be offended... 'cauz I've got chocolate!!!! XD) I hope it's a warm-fuzzy-inducing story and... yeah... I really do have chocolate. XD

Link: I want chocolate!!! *steals and eats some of my chocolate*

Me: *sighs* He's ALWAYS stealing my crap. XD

Link: *mumbling around a mouthful of chocolate* It'sz nmot crap!

Me: Figuratively.

Link: *swallows* Now you're insulting my looks?!? I thought you wuved me!

Me: *sighs* I WASN'T talking about your figure! If I was, you'd KNOW it. I'd be using words like "hot" and stuff... not "crap".

Link: Hee hee.... *blushes* Me? Hot? Nah.

Me: You. Hot. Yes.

Link: *blushes more* Stop it! *grabs more chocolate and eats it*

Me: Okay, if you insist. XD

Link: I insist.

Me: Fine.


End file.
